Kotaby engine



W. HUMPHREYS.

ROTARY Enema PATENTED OCT. 2, 1860.

*rmlsr FROM PATENT OFFICE REPORT 1860 VOL. 1:,

ONLY DRAWING ACCESSIBLE (1916) UNITED STATS as ice.

YVILLIAM HUMPHREYS, JR., OF GOLD SPRING, NEXV YORK.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 30,224, dated October 2, 1860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIAM HUMPHREYS, Jr., of Cold Spring, in thecounty of Putnam and State of New York, have invented a new and ImprovedRotary Engine; and I do hereby declare that'the following is a full,clear,'and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, in whichFigure 1' represents a sectional side ele vation of this invention. Fig.2 is a plan or top view of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse verticalsection of the same taken in the plane indicated by the line 00, m, Fig.2, and looking in the direction of the arrow marked near to that line.Fig. f, is an end elevation of the same, the fly wheel having beenremoved to expose the working parts of the engine. Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,and 10, are detail arrangements of the steam valve chest and itsconnections. Figs. 11, 12, and 13, show the modifications necessary tomake the engine condensing.

Similar letters of reference in all the figures indicate correspondingparts.

The principal object of this invention is to prevent the escape of steamat, and around the working surfaces of the engine, and also to arrangethe steam valves in such a manner and in such relation to the steamcylinder, that by a simple change in the position of a hand wheel theengine can be reversed.

The invention consists, first, in combining the cylinder, the cylinderheads, and the flanged piston, in such a manner, that an annular recessis formed on each end of the cylinder to receive the packing, and thatall the packing, being exposed to surfaces working at equal velocity,wears out more even and more uniform than the packing as now arrangedwith rotary engines of the ordinary construction; second, in arrangingthe rising-and-falling steam abutment with adjustable ends or packingplates to prevent an escape of steam on the ends of said abutment wherethe same is brought in contact with the end flanges of the piston;third, in the arrangement of the rising-and-falling steam abutment inthe interior of a closed chamber which communicates with the condenserin such a manner that if the engine is to be worked at low pressure orwith condensation, the pressure on both sides of the steam abutment isbalanced thereby preventing an undue strain on the links through whichmotion is communicated to the abutment and also preventing the abutmentfrom slamming on the surface of the piston; fourth, in the arrangementof a hand rock shaft, with a pinion and two eccentric cams incombination with a double slide valve and with the usual bow link andeccentrics on the driving shaft in such a manner that by turning saidhand rock shaft in one direction or in the other one or the other of thevalves is brought into action and the engine reversed.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, 1 willproceed to describe its construction and operation with reference to thedrawing.

The frame or bed-plate A, supports the stationary cylinder B, the latterbeing attached to it by means of screw bolts and flanges in the usualmanner. The piston C, rotates in the interior of the cylinder B, on thedriving shaft 64, and this shaft has its hearings in journal boxes 6, ateither end of the bed plate A. The piston is provided with twoprojecting flanges 0, one at either end and a projection (Z, extendingin a longitudinal direction from one flange to the other and fitted upwith suitable packing works steam tight against the inner surface of thecylinder B. The flanges c, are made of equal height with the projectioncl, and they fit nicely into the cylinder, the latter being providedwith annular recesses e, to receive the packing. This packing consistsof a series of composition packing rings f,-

made in sections so as to break joints and to admit of setting towardthe center for the purpose of preventing the escape of steam. Thesepacking rings surround the horizontal circumference or face of theflanges c, of the piston and they are set up by set screws 9', that actagainst the packing pieces h, which surround the outer circumference ofthe packing rings f. The packing rings. f, and the packing pieces h, arekept in the recesses e, by means of heads or covers 2', which arefastened to either end of the cylinder by means of screws 2", and theyare made of such a form that they bear sufficiently hard against thepacking pieces h, and rings f, to prevent them revolving with thepiston. By these means the working surfaces, viz., the faces of theflanges c, and the face of the projection (Z, are

made to revolve with the same speed and the packing therefore will wearout uniform all over and it can be kept tight.

The cylinder B, is provided with an abutment D, which slides up and downin the guide box IE, and which is raised at the proper intervals bymeans of cams j, on the driving shaft a, to a sufficient height for theprojection (Z, on the revolving piston to pass by. This abutment workssteam tight on the surface of the piston C, between the flanges 0, itsface being provided with suitable packing or otherwise made to fit tighton said surface and its ends are provided with movable packing plates70, that are set up against the inner sides of the flanges c, andagainst the packing rings f, and packing pieces 71., either by means ofadjustable wedge shaped keys Z, acting on thewedge shaped packing piecesZ, as shown in Fig. l, or by set screws l and springs Z*, as shown inFig. 12, or in any other suitable manner. That portion of the packingplates lo, which comes in contact with the inner sides of the flanges 0,may be furnished with a suitable packing is, which can be renewed incase of wear. By these means the escape of steam from one side of theabutment D, to the other is entirely obviated, and the packing plates k,can be adjusted so nicely that they create little or no friction.

When the engine is to be worked at high pressure (without condensation)the abutment projects beyond the box IE, and its sides are made to worksteam tight in said box by means of packing pieces m, which are set upby means of set screws 9% and they connect with the cams by means oflinks n. These links are made out of two pieces, being connected by asleeve having a right and left handed thread cut on the inside, which isused for the purpose of adjusting the sliding abutment, so that, when itis lowered, it will not slam on the surface of the revolving piston butmerely come in contact with it so as to prevent the steam from passingbetween the surfaces. The connection between the links a, and the camsj, is effected by levers 0, which are pivoted to the ends of thecylinder B, and which also connect with the frames j, to which a risingand falling mo tion is imparted by the cams j. If, on the other hand,the engine is to be used at low ressure or with condensation, theabutment and box E, is to be arranged as shown in Figs. l1, l2, and 13.In this case the abutment is inclosed in the box E, the latter beingcovered over by a bonnet a with two stufiing boxes 6 for the stems 0 towork through. These stems connect with the cross-bar d the ends of whichconnect by means of the links it, levers 0, and frames j, with the camsj. The upper portion of the box IE, connects by a small pipe e with thecondenser and if now a vacuum be formed within the condenser and on theexhaust side of the projection (Z, on the revolving piston, causing avacuum throughout the entire annular space between the revolving pistonand the cylinder during the time of raising and lowering the abutment,there will be a vacuum on the upper side of said abut-ment as well as onits under side, and the abutment will be perfectly balanced therebypreventing any unnecessary strain upon the links n, and theirconnections and also preventing the abutment from slamming on thesurface of the revolving piston.

The steam is admitted to the engine through the pipe 37, which connectswith the valve chest F, in the usual manner, and the valve chestcommunicates with the cylinder B through pipes g, g, which emanate fromthe opposite sides of the valve chest and connect with the cylinder onopposite sides of the abutment D. There are also two exhaust pipes 7",1", which communicate with the cylinder on opposite sides of theabutment and conduct the exhaust steam from opposite sides through theexhaust valve chest G, to the exhaust pipes s. This double set of pipesis necessary for the purpose of reversing the engine and this object iseffected by the double valves t, t, which work in the interior of theValve chest F. The valves are adjusted by a hand rock shaft 7, with twoeccentric rollers Q}, o, the eccentricities of which are opposite toeach other and which work in the open ends of the valve rods u, a. Byturning the rock shaft T in one direction or in the other, one of thevalves t, t, is brought farther from the center of the driving shaft andthe other is brought nearer to this center, and these valves are soarranged, that the valve which is moved farthest from the center of thedriving shaft, admits steam at the proper time and closes at any part ofthe revolution of the piston for which it may be adjusted, whereas thevalve that is nearest to the center of the shaft, is in such a position,that, it remains closed during the entire stroke or revolution of thepiston. The rock shaft 1, is operated by a hand wheel H, and by givingto this hand wheel one half revolution the position of the valves t, t,is reversed aiid the engine is made to take steam in the oppositedirection.

If the valve takes steam through the valve 2?, and the pipe 9, itexhausts through the pipe 1, which communicates through the space to, inthe exhaust valve chest G, with the exhaust pipe 8. By referring to Fig.12, it will be noticed that this space is partitioned off from theremainder of the interior space of said valve chest and from the pipe1', by the exhaust valve G, the position of which is governed by the rod7", and arm 9 If the engine is reversed so that it takes steam throughthe pipe 9, the position of the exhaust valve G, has to be changed sothat it partitions off the space w, and that it brings the pipe 1', incommunication with the exhaust pipe 8.

The valves 2?, t, are operated by means of eccentrics I, I, one of Whichgives motion to the valves While the engine is running in one direction,and the other While the engine is running in the opposite direction. Theaction of the eccentrics is governed by a bow link M, which embraces therock shaft 1 and the position of Which is changed by a pinion 2' on saidrock shaft, so that by giving to said rock shaft one half revolution,the valves 6 t, are changed, by the action of the eccentric rollers 71,Q1, and at the same time the eccentrics are changed by the action of thepinion 2' This engine can be Worked at high or low pressure with equalfacility. It can be reversed by a simple motion of the valves, and thepacking in the cylinder and on and around the piston is so arranged thatan escape of steam is obviated, Without creating an undue friction onthe Working parts.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The arrangement of the annular recesses e, in the ends of thecylinder B, in combination with the flanges 0, 0 on the piston C, andWith the cylinder heads or covers 2', constructed and operating substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The arrangement of the adjustable packing plates 1:, in the ends ofthe sliding abutment D constructed and operating substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

3. The arrangement of the abutment D, in the interior of a closed box E,in combination with the pipe 6 constructed and operating substantiallyin the manner and for the purpose specified.

l. The arrangement of the hand rock shaft 4, With eccentric rollers v,o, and a pinion i, in combination With the valves 2?, t, and eccentricsI, I, the Whole constructed, combined and operating as and for thepurpose described.

WILLIAM HUMPHREYS, JUNIOR.

itnesses F. RUMPF, JULIUS HORNIG.

